We Do What We Can

Posts in the Collaboration category:

Writing is not an automatic process even for the most experienced scribes. Inspiration is there in abundance on some days, and almost completely absent on others. It would be nice to have a steady, dependable stream of great ideas and witty repartee, but there are no guarantees.

That said, you can try the following when you find yourself running short on inspiration:

Conversation

We engage in a great deal of small talk most days, the majority of it forgettable and unimportant at best. However, a really neat idea can sometimes arise from the most banal of exchanges. Don’t shut down; strike up a conversation with that interesting looking stranger.

Read

Reading other people’s work can help a lot. By that, we don’t mean steal ideas; the idea is that your brain becomes stimulated by literature that you find intriguing and rewarding, and that helps to reawaken your own creativity.

Music

Listening to music is another way to get yourself going again. It acts as both a welcome distraction from writer’s block and a wonderful stimulant for creative thought and expression.

Travel

You don’t have to head to the other side of the planet to find your muse; even a trip into the country can help to clear your head and get some new ideas percolating.

Write Down Your Dreams

I can never seem to remember my dreams, which is a shame as some of them seem widely creative as they unfold. Keep a pen and paper or a voice recorder near your bed and make note of some of the more unique and just plain weird things that happen during both your dreams and nightmares. Your brain might just be trying to tell you something.

Search Online

Know what you want to write about, but are not sure how to get started? Enter that subject into a search engine and see what comes out. You might just be surprised.